While the $3,000 Baby Support Grant will help parents defray the cost of raising Singaporean children amid the coronavirus pandemic, limiting the eligibility to children born between Oct 1 this year and Sept 30, 2022 excludes a significant group of new parents who were hardest hit by the circuit breaker (New parents to get $3,000 grant to help defray costs, Oct 10).
I gave birth to a baby in June, while Singapore was just emerging from its two-month circuit breaker. When I was pregnant with my child, I could not attend birthing classes, nor could I obtain the other necessary support during what was a very stressful time.
After childbirth, I was unable to obtain the services of a confinement nanny, who was unable to enter the country from Malaysia owing to travel restrictions. Those who were available came at exorbitant prices.
Hiring a new domestic helper was next to impossible. The one I hired was supposed to enter Singapore in April, but could not obtain the necessary permits even up to six months later.
In the end, I had to terminate the contract when the Manpower Ministry's in-principle approval expired, forfeiting a significant chunk of my deposit in the process.
Altogether, it was a really tough and lonely journey for me and my husband, being first-time parents.
The latest Baby Support Grant serves to incentivise couples to start a family amid the pandemic, rather than help those who already welcomed new additions to the family during this period.
The Baby Bonus has been around for years, yet our fertility rate continues to fall.
Having children is a deeply personal decision and one that is unlikely to be swayed by monetary incentives that can go up to $10,000, considering that raising a child in Singapore is estimated to cost a few hundred thousand to more than half a million dollars ($3,000 baby grant: We need help too, other parents say, Oct 11).
So rather than providing more financial incentives in the hope of coaxing couples to have children, spare a thought for those who have chosen to become new parents, even amid this very tough time.
Lee Wen Min